All deaf ears to importune
By Iver Japson | posted 28/07/2024
It’s a quite-familiar experience that students had to endure everyday the similar “blockage” to what seemingly a normal student life should be, yet it is marveling to compel how people in power do not have the choice but to turn a blind eye because of rotten Philippine education system that is overrun by greediness and centrally neoliberal in nature. I have seen myself only enduring to graduate, than a graduate student with degree that is eager to serve the community with all the learnings I had treasured.
Deceased and decaying as I can described but narrowing down the root problem of different struggles on low acceptance of freshmen, to different grading and system crashing that has had happened almost two years ago and the overall deficiency of budget allocated that should be a free education for all students, not just what they believe to accept “deserving students” only.
For years of walking the aisle of the dusty and rocky road of the university, I can see no empowered and enriched students but all zombies that are trying to just finish the only dealings they have with the institution. And for years as well, there are only handful of structural significance of how “well” and “planned” they spent the intended budget for these projects that sounds like the golden era during the Marcos regime. They defined success on numbers rather than the quality that they provide.
Because students are not fully empowered, it goes down to the hierarchal path of student leaders and organizations that honestly, do only safe space for students to find common ground and achieve a common purpose and do not stand for students in times of oppression from the administration. Because of a weak and incompetent administration, student-leaders tend to shy away on what they supposed to stand for, for the students of Palawan State University. Just like how a weak ladder that does not aim to go higher but just to impress others, they fail the basic decency of what true leadership and ruling is all about.
Palawan SUans deserve more than the applauded vision and mission statements, more than the prestigious awarding, rankings and recognitions, more than funded projects and extension programs, more than what they promise to excellence they preach more than they do. I have seen and read reports from different published articles in the past decade, and yet this is the same problem, only those in position and titles had been changed.
Although that there is a designated office for concerns and complaints of students, it only provided at least to help the student alone but it did not fix the bigger problem why student concerns started in the first place. Countless problems piled up if the administration keep looking away because they lack empathy on the suffering that students had to suffer an unbearable weight they need to carry; students had no choice to adapt with the new normal and this goes down to every support staff and teachers that is tighten down to the crooked system. The point leads to an indecent leadership.
Not a fun fact but for years, students become inseparable to broken education system. A low turnout of votes for the 2023 USG elections had been reported, only a handful students are interested in Hubaran 2023 where nominees are given the platform to introduce themselves, and even students do not generally want to take the lead in student leader positions thinking it as a burden to endure rather than to motivate their constituents in different political and cultural activities that may have impact to the community of Palawan SU.
Another perspective is that students were taught subconsciously that thinking critically and motivationally is to be on the bad side of the other. The state conditioned us that to raise fist against our own declared rights is to rebel against authorities. But who would now speak up if no one will? The dying politics inside Palawan SU is what the administration “employs to play” as they do not directly want students to engage on healthy discussions but rather close the gate to only in power and familiar connections.
Palawan SUans need to learn to step up for their own rights and create voices so that every offices would wake up from their deep sleep and remove the yellow ear-discharge that kept their ties from binding into the corrupt and inefficiency in their work practices. And for the administration, you should be serving the students and not the other way around because it draws into conclusion that we are being accounted into rather than taking responsibility of their own offices. It may be tiring to rant out, react violently as possible and release those problems that should be exposed into outside, we should endure to seek the truth in an objective and fairly manner with respect to guiding others into the truth.
The dying politics inside Palawan SU is what the administration “employs to play” as they do not directly want students to engage on healthy discussions but rather close the gate to only in power and familiar connections.
Another semester and school year has passed already and without doubt, this will continue to decay and be dead eventually if the system will remain the same and power playing and tripping continue to strive. The only change that I hope for every Palawan SUan is to have the courage to speak and be bold in fighting for genuine education for all and demand accountability without self-centered imagery.
There is no perfect university or institution but a little spark of good governance can change a lot of the perspective inside the education system.
This in writing, I hope for the success of every graduate of Palawan SU and will make name that serve Palaweños.
Iver Japson is a former Pioneer member for 2 years and served as news editor for the Academic Year 2023–2024.
The views and opinions of the author do not reflect the views and opinions of the Editorial Board and staff writers.
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